The 50th Anniversary of the first moon landing mission is being celebrated by NASA and space enthusiasts from the beginning of this week. It was on July 16, 1969, when Apollo 11 space mission, took off, with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr. and four days later, on July 20, they became the first landed humans on the celestial body. While there are many conspiracy theories related to Apollo 11 space mission with some questioning if, the first mission was fake, space lovers continue to cherish the moment of the first mankind project. Now after 50 years, the most searched question, “When Was the Moon Landings?” dominated the Google trends. The eagerness over the moon landing has only grown. Let us take a look at the top trending questions that people are searching on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing mission. 13 Spectacular Facts About NASA’s First Moon Mission and Apollo 11. 

Top Questions on the Moon Landing 

When Was the Moon Landing?

On July 16, 1969, at 9:31 am Eastern Time, Apollo 11 took off from the Kennedy Space Centre with American astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr. After travelling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, the aircraft on July 19, entered into a lunar orbit. The next day, the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle, separated from the command module where Collins remained. According to Coordinated Universal Time, at 8:17 pm on July 20, 1969, landed Eagle. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface on July 21 at 2:56 am UTC and 19 minutes later, Aldrin joined him.

Is the First Moon Landing fake?

There are many conspiracies related to the first-ever manned moon landing mission. The conspiracy theorists claim that “fake” moon landings were filmed in a studio with actors. It was sparked by rocket engine senior technical writer, Bill Kaysing in his book, published in 1976 titled, We Never Went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle. It was because of his theory that many critics cast doubt on the mission’s validity. Some questioned there were no stars, while others pointed out how U.S. flag can ripple in the wind in the picture taken after the landing. However, Kaysing’s claims were never proven and Apollo 11 remains the first moon landing mission. 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing: Google Doodle Celebrates Golden Jubilee of Apollo 11's Mission to The Moon With Animated Video. 

Watch Video: Google Doodle Marks 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing & Apollo 11 Space Mission 

Who Landed on the Moon?

It was Apollo 11 commander, Neil A. Armstrong was the first man to put his step on the moon and he spoke his famous quote, “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Edwin Aldrin Jr. joined him about 19 minutes later.

How Many Moon Landings Have There Been?

NASA’s Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Ever since then there have six crewed landings to the moon from 1969 to 1972 all a part of NASA’s Apollo program. The objective of the program was to gather as much information possible from the close orbits.

What Countries Have Landed on the Moon?

From 1966 to 1976, the United States and the Soviet Union launched a total of 12 unmanned spacecraft to perform scientific operations on the moon. Till early 2019, there have been additional nations too that have had unmanned crash landings on the surface of the moon. The countries include Japan, the United States, French Guiana, China, and India. Again, China’s Chang’4 was the first spacecraft to reach the far side of the moon that on January 3, 2019.

These were the top trending questions asked by people on the search engine giant. NASA next plans to make another new crewed moon landing by 2024 through its Artemis program.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).